


An Awakening in the Adirondacks

by SwiftWindSpirit



Category: Ghost Adventures (TV)
Genre: 1990s, Adults, Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attraction, Cabins, Challenges, Chicago (City), College, Coming of Age, Dare, Daydreaming, Friendship, Ghost Adventures Crew, Ghosts, Haunting, M/M, Male Friendship, Male Solo, Massachusetts, Multi, New England, New York, Nipples, Paranormal, Paranormal Investigators, Rating: M, Secret Crush, Self-Denial, Spirit World, Spirits, Spiritual, Summer Vacation, Teenage Drama, Teenagers, Young
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:26:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24125854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwiftWindSpirit/pseuds/SwiftWindSpirit
Summary: Zak Bagans has never seen a ghost in his life and when he gets surprised by his parents taking him to a resort at Lake Placid before he goes off to college at UNLV, he runs into Nick Groff on the jogging trail who is also going to UNLV. What he doesn't know is Nick is a paranormal investigator who issues a challenge to him to stay the night at the old haunted Leacher cabin after he is skeptical about Nick and his friends experiences with the paranormal. What follows when he takes Nick up on his challenge can only be described as the night that changed his life and made Zak Bagans a believer.
Relationships: Aaron Goodwin/Billy Tolley, Aaron Goodwin/Nick Groff, Billy Tolley/Jay Wasley, Zak Bagans & Aaron Goodwin & Nick Groff, Zak Bagans/Aaron Goodwin/Nick Groff, Zak Bagans/Nick Groff
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

An Awakening in the Adirondacks 

This was originally supposed to be just an intro, but I got so into it that I lost track of time and ended up with this two part story worthy of its own title and posting so I hope you enjoy this first chapter and as always or in this case, characters are their real names and the franchise Ghost Adventures belongs to the Travel Channel and My-Tupelo Entertainment and was created by the main subject of this story!   
…………………………………………………………………………………………………

The demonic, the undead, specters, unidentified flying objects, poltergeists, werewolves, vampires, zombies, witches, warlocks, beings from other planets plus countless writings of folklore, texts, and sightings of unknown urban legends going all the way back to before they even kept writings. This is what being a paranormal investigator is like day to day, week to week, month to month, year to year and this doesn’t even start to include the demonic possessions and the countless spirit attachments. 

These are all the things a paranormal investigator deals with in the field and most of them do it because of childhood experiences or some other strange phenomena in their life which has forced them to explore realms not many people would want to dare try on their own. 

One young boy who lived in Suburban Chicago grew up his entire childhood life a normal everyday boy who did what most children do and who lived the life of a boy living in the suburban big city. This boy, Zak Bagans, for all intensive purposes was destined to do great things. He lived a pretty comfortable life with three square meals a day, a place of his own where he could lay his head down to sleep once he was old enough to graduate out of a crib, a bathroom to keep his hygiene as good as he possibly could, and a nice cozy den to watch whatever comic book hero or cartoon character fancied his attentions and affections at that moment in his childhood. 

You could say Zak Bagans had the child’s dream life and his school years right up until he graduated and went off to UNLV to study the arts was no different. All through his life up until that point had been what most kids go through in their early teen years in getting a job, income, a car, and many friends which for him were easy to make but were hard to let go of when he understood many of them, if not all of them, wanted to stay in the big city and go to college there instead of starting their adult lives somewhere else, somewhere new, somewhere where they could explore who they really were and not have to worry about what would the parents say. 

Zak knew in his heart that he had to do what was best for him and he craved with all of his heart and all of his soul to start his own life in a new city where his parents were a phone call instead of a regular occurrence. They understood why their son wanted to do it because he was ambitious, a hard worker, very attractive, but also very self driven because he wasn’t like his brother and sister, he wanted to be on his own and prove to himself he could do it. 

So before he left for University of North Las Vegas, his parents decided to do a family outing for a weekend after graduation in a summer resort up in the Adirondacks of Eastern New York. The place was called Lake Placid Summer Retreat and was a well known resort amongst big city people who knew it was a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life to enjoy good fishing, relaxing, and untouched beautiful Western New England scenery with a bit of a colonial flare. 

When they arrived at the front of the main resort clubhouse and Zak’s dad beeped his station wagon cutlass’s horn for a bellhop to collect their bags, Zak decided to look around the place after they got settled in the cabin his parents had reserved for the weekend. 

Once the bellhop dropped their bags in their cabin, Zak went off to explore the grounds before his parents took him, his brother, and his sister to dinner at the diner inside the main resort clubhouse. 

He was in awe of the green hilly pastures which stretched for as long as the eye could see. He marveled at the many resort cabins which dotted the grounds and was taken away by the sheer height of the trees and the cleanliness of the air which was a huge surprise to him since he had lived in Chicago and never smelt anything but the city and the distant steel mills which made up it’s far Eastern Suburbs his father worked in as a steel mill supervisor. 

He was so blown away by what he experiencing, he accidently ran into a young man who was jogging down the trail in front of him and knocked him off his feet. He landed on the ground with a resounding “thud and ugh” and it startled Zak who stood there looking at the downed young man who appeared to be his age. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to run into you, here let me help you up” Zak said offering his hand to the young man who gripped it and was on his feet again. 

“Apology accepted” the young man said as he wiped off dirt from his running shorts and tank top he wore. 

“You know, you can really get lost in a place like this” Zak said in a casual tone to the stranger. 

“You must be new here, I can tell by the way you are aimlessly looking around that you’re obviously not from here” the young man said matter of factily as he was looking over Zak’s demeanor and the black plaquet shirt and shorts with sneakers he was dressed in. 

“Yeah, I’m in from Chicago and my parents kind of surprised me with this weekend getaway” Zak said as he continued to look around at the forest and the lake by the trail both he and the young man were standing on. 

Interest crossing the young man’s face when Zak mentioned surprise and he put his hands in the pockets of his running shorts to keep them warm as he pressed for more information: 

“Hey, that sounds really cool, can I ask why you were surprised?” the young man asked looking at Zak inquisitively. 

“Well, since you asked, I’m going to be going to UNLV to study the arts, of what I’m not sure yet, but I’m going to get my own place there on campus and probably live there until I graduate and then go on from there” Zak said while he reached down for a rock and skipped it across the lake until it splashed a few feet out. 

“UNLV, awesome, you know, I’m going to be going there with a few of my friends so I might see you on campus” the young man said smiling at Zak whose eyes lit up before he spoke: 

“Awesome, maybe I will see you on campus, but if I do, I think I should be allowed to know your name so I can put it to your face if I do run into you there” Zak said smiling back at the young man whose brown eyes were sparkling at the prospect of making a new friend before either of them ever got to the campus. 

“My name’s Nick, Nick Groff” Nick said extending his hand out to shake Zak’s hand. 

“I’m Zak, Zak Bagans” Zak said shaking Nick’s hand smiling at the warmness and firmness of the shake. 

“So Nick, what brings you here to the resort?” Zak said as he put his hands in his pockets to keep them warm. 

“Me and my buddies decided to rent a cabin for a fishing trip to get away from the hectic life of Boston for a few days” Nick said as he looked over the lake and picked up a stone and skipped it across the water where it splashed in the same spot as Zak’s stone did. 

While Zak was listening to Nick talk, his eyes checked out the lean muscle and the sharp nubs his nipples were turning into as the cool air started to react with the flimsy fabric of the tank top and he had to swallow to catch a breath the more he stared and the more the world around him seemed like a blur. 

“Say, you know what Nick, you seem like you know this place and I really want to check it out, but I have to get going because I’m due for dinner with my parents, my brother, and my sister at the main resort diner in a half hour” Zak said looking at his watch while he tried to shake off the intense feeling he felt in his groin the more he got entranced by Nick’s erect nipples. 

Nick looked at him with a bit of a sparkle in his face at the mention of him wanting to spend more together and he jumped at the opportunity to show him around the resort: 

“Sure thing Zak, why don’t you meet up with me tomorrow morning and we can really check this place out!” Nick said enthusiastically before he thought of something which might get them together sooner: 

“If you don’t want to wait until tomorrow morning, me and my friends are going to a couple of places on the grounds here that nobody really uses that I’ve been wanting to check out since I was a kid and you’re invited along if you aren’t too tied up in your family stuff” Nick said looking at Zak who had a spark in his eyes when he mentioned exploration. 

“Sure thing, my family goes to bed early anyway and I doubt I’ll be doing anything other then spending time with them and doing things here at the resort” Zak said in an enthusiastic tone as he asked Nick a question about the meeting place and time: 

“So where and when do you want to meet up?” Zak asked Nick who was beaming with happiness from the eagerness in his voice: 

“Let’s meet up about ten or so at my cabin and we can venture out from there” Nick said as he took his hands out his pockets when they were warm enough. 

“Okay, that sounds like a plan, what is your cabin number?” Zak asked looking at Nick intently. 

“Our cabin number is 43 and just be aware that my friends, Aaron, Jay, and Billy are going to go with us, is that okay?” Nick asked Zak who slumped his shoulders at the thought of it not being just the two of them. 

“Yeah, sure, that’s okay, I guess” Zak said with uncertainty in his voice. 

Nick looked over at Zak with concern in his face. He didn’t want to overwhelm someone who he had just met who wasn’t ready or confident in meeting up with his friends who were like brothers to him since childhood. 

“Hey look Zak, you don’t have to do this” Nick said in a concerned tone the more he watched Zak mopey body reactions. 

“We can wait until the morning and forget I even said come with me tonight” Nick said trying to reassure Zak who felt uneasy about it. 

“It’s okay Nick, I just am a little wary about being with people I’ve never met before and your offer is nice, but I need to think about it tonight and get back to you about it in the morning” Zak admitted to Nick who put a hand on his shoulder. 

“Hey man, I get it, I would be the same way myself so let’s catch up in the morning and we’ll talk then” Nick said as he saw a warm smile go over Zak. 

“Thanks Nick, I appreciate your caring, see you in the morning” Zak said as he felt Nick’s touch on his shoulder go away which he secretly shuddered at when the lingering warmth of it was replaced with the cool lake effect air. 

Then it occurred to Nick that since Zak was heading back to his cabin which was in almost the same direction as his that they might as well walk back together get to know one and other a little bit more until they had to break off in their own directions once they got to Zak’s cabin: 

“Come on, before you ran into me, I was headed back to my cabin so we can talk a little more on the way to them” Nick suggested to Zak who smiled brightly at the prospect of getting to know Nick better. 

“Okay, let’s go” Zak said as he motioned to Nick and they started walking back to the cabins. 

On the way back to the cabins, Zak learned that Nick had a passion for paranormal research and investigation. He had been doing it since he was in middle school and he really got the bug when the house he lived in with his parents in Uptown Boston had people who had not decided to move on to the grave and Zak looked wide eyed at Nick when he told him about his first encounter and how it had left a mark on him to get into the paranormal field. 

When Zak asked about what Aaron, Billy and Jay did, he found out that both Aaron and Jay had similar experiences like Nick did and so they formed a small paranormal club who did investigations on a small scale level. 

When they discovered there was serious money to be had in it, they decided to find someone who was open to it and could help them expand the club capabilities with technology intervention. 

Billy Tolley was the person Nick was looking for because he was a computer technology genius and was able to set up anything Nick would need to make the club as profitable as it could be. 

Since Billy went to the same school as Nick and Jay did, it was a natural fit for their small club that was immediately turned into a bigger club with technology capabilities. 

Zak asked Nick about where Aaron fit into this and Nick said that Aaron had moved to Boston from Portland, Oregon about the time they were starting the club. 

He had met him after he had moved in with his family and become his new next door neighbor and was very interested in his and Jay’s small paranormal investigation club. 

Aaron, who was known as the most vocal and dramatic of the three of them, told him that his experience was the most profound because the spirit actually attached itself to him and he had to get it spiritually cleansed off of him so that it wouldn’t drive him to suicide or however he had overdramatized the whole experience which had given both he and Jay a good laugh even if it was deadly serious. 

Zak couldn’t believe his ears at what he was hearing, in fact, he thought the whole idea was totally nuts and just laughed it off as Nick stopped him by holding his shoulder and said: 

“It’s not funny Zak, it’s real, as real as I am standing here telling you about what we do” 

“Look Nick, I understand people have to make a living and they come together for various reasons, but you’re telling me something straight out of Poltergeist” Zak said in a serious tone to Nick who looked at him with an upset feature in his face. 

“It’s fine you think it’s funny and that it is out of Poltergeist” Nick said in an annoyed tone looking at Zak who raised his eyebrows in suspicion before he continued: 

“I’m here to tell you that when you go through an attachment or god forbid a possession, you never forget it and you will do whatever it takes to find an answer even if you have to sacrifice yourself sometimes in order to find it” Nick said with a serious look on his face. 

Zak took a minute to think about what Nick had said but just brushed it off as similar to the city propaganda the politicians always threw in the faces of people like his dad who was lucky he still had a job, much less a house to live in after they and the Unions had virtually wiped out the Chicago’s vast Rust Belt steel industry in Northwestern Indiana. 

“Look Nick, I get it, but I’m very skeptical because it’s never happened to me and most likely never will so I have to assume I’ll end up like the rest of the world listening to what you tell me, but never really believing it as fact” Zak admitted to Nick who just shook his head. 

“Fine then Zak, I have a challenge for you” Nick said in a serious tone pointing his finger at him. 

“I dare you to go spend the night by yourself at the old colonial cabin at the back of the resort and I want you to do it, tonight!” Nick said lightly poking Zak in the chest. 

“Why the fuck would I want to spend the night at some dusty old ass cabin?” Zak spat looking at Nick brushing off his poke with his hand before he continued: 

“I have no idea in hell where that is and if you’re going to put on a big rag and your friends are going to dress up like spooks and scare me shitless if I do stay there, it’s not happening and I’m sorry I accidently ran into you on the trail” Zak spat looking intensely at Nick who laughed at the mention of his challenge being a prank. 

“Listen Zak, we’re paranormal investigators” Nick explained calmly as he continued: 

“Why would Aaron, I, Jay, and Billy pull ghost pranks on you?” Nick said putting his hands on his hips while he shook his head. 

“Because I know how these dares work” Zak said in a confident tone as he continued to pontificate expertise which only made Nick more amused then annoyed:

“You issue the challenge and I go to this cabin and you Gerry rig it to look like an Evil Dead set and I leave there a petrified mess while you and your buddies laugh your asses off in the woods you’re hiding in pushing buttons and running props” Zak quipped crossing his arms while Nick rolled his eyes. 

“That’s not the reason we’re staying here Zak, there’s something more about that cabin you don’t know about and I promise you there are no props, no pranks, no nothing” Nick said throwing his hands up in defense which surprised Zak. 

“Oh yeah? Why don’t you enlighten me to your little scheme and I might go along with it” Zak said in a defiant tone as Nick took a deep breath and exhaled before he spilt the beans:   
“I’ve been hearing about the legend that there is an old ore miner named Patrick Leacher whose ghost comes to that cabin each night to try to collect his wife, Mary Leacher, so that they both can pass on to heaven together” Nick explained trying to do his best to describe what Zak would be facing. 

“So what? An old guy and his widow trying to go to heaven, heard it, read about it, seen it in a movie with a dog” Zak scoffed at Nick who ignored his wisecrack as he continued without being phased by his rude interruption: 

“It’s been said by the locals around here and those who have tried to attempt to sit in Mary’s rocking chair that at a certain time right before daylight or at the time the spirit world is the most active is when Mary tries to enter the body of anyone who sits in her rocking chair to be kissed by Patrick and pass through them to be reunited with her long lost husband so that she and he can walk down the cabin steps and pass on to heaven, but not until she turns to her host, whomever it is, and says thank you so and so before both of them vanish” Nick said looking at Zak who was giving him a bewildered look after his long tale. 

“Wait, is that also part of your prank too?” Zak said accusingly to Nick who just stood there shaking his head. 

“No, you fool, the reason we’re staying here is because of that Leacher cabin and the fact everyone who has tried to appease Mary’s spirit has been frightened away by the sight of Patrick’s ghost trying to kiss them” Nick said in frustration before he added pointing his finger again at Zak: 

“You can go down there yourself after your folks go to bed and see there are no props, no pranks, no nothing and you can even, If you have the balls, go into the woods on both sides of it and see there’s no gizmos or prop machines there either” Nick said putting his hands on his hips. 

Now Zak was intrigued more then he was annoyed by the serious tone in Nick’s voice and that gave him confidence to take him up on his challenge, but not before he laid down some ground rules both of them would have to abide by: 

“Would you shut up if I spend the night in your creepy cabin until first light tomorrow morning so I can prove to you this legend is just a bunch of bunk you heard from some spazzed out people who are trying to pull a prank on you?” Zak questioned looking at Nick who raised his eyebrows and nodded assuring him he was listening to the rest of what he had to say regarding himself spending the night at the Leacher cabin: 

“If I don’t see the ghost or have what you call “an experience” Zak said raising his fingers and curling them down in quotation as he continued: 

“with the ghost or the ghost’s widow, I won’t track you down when I get to UNLV for the fall semester” Zak said looking at Nick who was still listening but looking away trying to conceal a frown. 

“And we go our own separate ways starting as soon as we get to my cabin and the only way you’re going to know anything about it is when I tell people the truth and they have no choice but to tell you the truth if you ask about me and my stay at the Leacher cabin next time you come up this way for vacation” Zak finished looking seriously at Nick who took his eyes off of him to think: 

Nick thought about what Zak had said and deep down inside of his heart, he really wanted Zak to have an experience with the Leacher ghosts to change his mind to not only teach him a lesson but strengthen the friendship he really wanted to have with him. 

He would hate to see their friendship break up over a stupid legend not even he himself believed was real and he felt a sore lump start to bulge in his throat at the reality of losing the very attractive young man standing inches away from him demanding an answer so he swallowed hard to get rid of the lump in his throat as he gave him his response which came out a little shakier then he had wanted it to: 

“Okay Zak, since you are laying down your ground rules about spending the night at the Leacher cabin, here are mine” Nick said in a businessman like tone while he carefully chose his words: 

“You spend the night at the Leacher cabin and don’t have an experience, attachment, or a possession, I will honor your wishes and not look for you when I get to UNLV this fall for the fall semester and the next time I’m here at the resort, I will ask the locals and people in my field about you and your experience at the Leacher cabin” Nick said in a shaky tone trying to brush off the tears which were threatening to drop down his cheeks the more he thought about it. 

“You have yourself a deal, Nick” Zak said in a shaky voice which even surprised him as he himself was trying to fight back a sore lump forming in his throat as he swallowed hard to get rid of it before he continued with his end of the bargain regarding if he had an experience at the Leacher cabin: 

“If I have an experience, possession, or even see a ghost, I’ll track you down when I get to UNLV and..” Zak paused to think for a minute before he continued: 

“I will help you out with your club and I will even go on investigations with you if you want me to and I will also make sure to apologize to you with your friends as witnesses” Zak said in a sincere tone seeing a spark light up in Nick’s face as he continued the rest of his end of the bargain:

“And if you don’t want to continue calling yourself a club, I’ll help you rename it and get the tab for the first dinner we have together as a new whatever we want to call ourselves at that point.. Do we have a deal?” Zak asked sincerely while he extended his hand to Nick who had a misty eyed look to him as he extended his own hand and shook Zak’s firming up their bargain they had made. 

“Deal” Nick said while both of them stared a little longer then they wanted to before the hand shake was broken. 

When they reached the cabins, Zak turned to Nick and felt the world around him go into a zone as he stared at Nick as longingly as Nick did at him. The need to hug each other was as intense as the pulling both of them were getting the more they stood there staring at each other trying to find words to go with their emotions neither of them were willing to act on so they both at the same moment decided to wave goodbye to each other while they spoke: 

“If I don’t see you on UNLV campus, it was nice to meet you, Zak Bagans” Nick said waving at Zak who was trying to hold back a sore lump in his throat when his full name was used. 

“Same to you, Nick Groff, take care of yourself and thanks for accidently running into me on the trail back there” Zak said waving at Nick as he turned to head towards his cabin. 

He could have sworn he felt Nick watching him even as he turned to look back to see him no longer standing there so he could wipe a few tears away from his eyes as they trickled down his cheeks. 

Nick could not watch Zak walk away because it would be too much emotion for someone who over the last couple of hours had brought so much into his life and he barely even knew the guy. He started walking towards his cabin at a brisk pace feeling the tears streaming down his face as he thought about the mess he had put himself in when he had agreed to this extreme of terms over a stupid myth that might or might not happen to Zak. 

One thing was for sure, no matter what happened, he had to honor the deal they made and it killed him inside his heart to know he had to rely on a spirit to do what he should have never gotten himself into in the first place.


	2. Chapter 2

Zak got back into the cabin in time to shower and wash his face of the puffy signs of crying. He met up with his family soon after he got dressed. The dinner they had was uneventful, but the crab was delicious or so Zak had thought. 

He should have asked Nick before they parted ways about what he would have recommended for great New England cuisine if the crab was any indication as he took a deep sigh and tried not to think about the attractive young man who had secretly taken his heart in the palm of his hand when he had not even stayed to see him walking to the front door of his cabin. 

The heaviness he felt in the middle of his chest was his heart sinking because it already missed Nick and the only thing keeping it from total collapse was him packing a duffle bag full of a blanket, a flashlight, several bottles of water, and a pillow which he stuffed into it before he zipped it up and slung it around his shoulder as he made his way out of the cabin closing the door as quietly as he could behind him. 

Nick had given him directions on how to get to the old Leacher cabin at the back of the resort and he used the last rays of the late setting sun to his advantage by walking down the various trails which took him deep into the hilly areas of the resort and eventually finding an old unused ATV trail which took him along a small open meadow dotted with old cabins and some woods on the left side of it. 

After about a mile of walking along the old grass infested ATV trail, Zak saw the Leacher cabin come into view just before it disappeared into the woods about fifty feet beyond where the front of the cabin faced the ATV trail and the wooded area just a few feet beyond it.

He noticed there were two old ornate rocking chairs on either side of the front door as he turned off the ATV trail to walk up to it. As he looked at the front porch area of the cabin, he noticed how it went across the entire front of it on either side and that the only way to get onto it was a pair of rickety looking old wooden steps which didn’t look too sturdy for even his weight so he decided to check out the rest of the place by looking at the perimeter and roof of it from where he was on the grass in front of the porch area. 

He walked around it noticing the vastly overgrown weeds resting against the cabin and the various rotted areas of wood that the termites had gotten into creating little tiny holes which would bring in the sunlight in the morning. 

The roof looked like it was about to cave in on itself if it wasn’t being held up with what looked like man made beams which didn’t look very steady and could easily collapse if a summer storm showed up. 

Other then the less then ideal looking roof he’d be lying under this night and the dilapidated looking chimney with cracks and bends in its steel workings, this place gave him the creeps because he felt like he was being watched from the woods and that in itself was unnerving to him as he shrugged off his fears and quickly made it back to where he had started at the front of the cabin. 

“Now I know how Scooby Doo feels” Zak said outloud to himself as he quickly made his way onto the porch and looked at the two ornate wooden rocking chairs sitting on either side of the front door as if someone was sitting in them welcoming him or telling him to get lost which made him thankful there were no guns resting alongside of either one of them.

He put his hands on the door and tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge so he put his weight into it and sure enough it came open and took him with it while it swung open to the side. 

Dust went everywhere in the darkened room as Zak at the last second managed to turn himself in time to take a hit on the shoulder as another big cloud of dust came up and made him sneeze like a fool as his sinuses were filled with as much dirt as his poor white sweater and black pants were caked with as he lay there on his side trying to get his senses and all of the dust particles out of his eyes and his nose. 

After a few seconds, his sneezing stopped, but his throat was dry so he got up from the floor and took his duffle bag off his shoulders unzipping it to retrieve a bottle of water which he gulped half of it down before putting it back in his duffle bag and zipping it up again and slinging it back around his shoulder. 

As he looked around for the place which would be where he would be sleeping, he could see that no matter where he looked or where he touched, if it was on a table, on a chair, on the old ornate coal furnace, or even in the tiny bedroom off to the side of the kitchen with what looked like a frying pan lying over a hanging pot, there was dust, dust, DUST! 

He walked back onto the porch and looked at his options there. He took one of the rocking chairs in his hands to see if it was sturdy and surprisingly it was. Then after he did that, he went in to look around the bedroom and was dismayed to find out the bed was a bunch of rusted out springs and oh yeah..DUST. 

Zak grumbled to himself and finally made the decision that he was spending the night in the rocking chair he had tested for durability in his hands. He made his way back out to the porch and sat in the rocker on the left side of the front door.   
It was surprisingly comfortable for its age and the motion of the gentle rocks Zak was making on it were slowly starting to loll him to sleep. 

As the night overtook its wilderness again, Zak could hear very strange things in the nearby woods, like sounds of drums beating and guns going off in the distance. 

He opened his eyes when he heard these sounds and when he saw nothing in the blackness, he closed them again letting his thoughts roll off from what he thought he heard to that of Nick. 

He thought about how he would most likely be laughing at his dirty clothes, his dirt caked face, and the fact he looked like he hadn’t showered in a week. 

He thought about the jokes they’d trade if he were sitting by him on this creepy porch and how his warm personality would give him the courage he needed to finish this night out strong. 

He thought about how attractive the young man was and how much he had wanted to touch his erect nipples on that jogging trail and how intoxicated he was by his voice and his willingness to stick to his guns and believe what he believed. 

He thought about the tank top he wore not leaving much to his imagination as he pictured what his body looked like as his mind saw the image of it and his eyes were stripping off every article of clothing savoring what they saw inch by inch stopping to marvel at the chiseled features of each muscle and the bulge it made as his mind ventured his eyes further down stopping to drink in his hard erect… 

Suddenly, his stirring groin went totally flat when he literally jumped out of the rocking chair when he heard footsteps connecting with the porch NEAR WHERE HE SAT. 

He didn’t open them because his pulse was throbbing as much as his heart was pounding forcing him to take deep breaths to avoid screaming out the shocks he felt as his whole body was trembling from his guard being let down from his daydreaming about Nick. 

He tried going back to sleep, but his pulse was going so fast, it threatened to shoot his eyes open especially when he heard more footsteps right by his ear and felt a very cold freezer like breeze on his hand forcing his body to tremble like a leaf. 

He took a minute to think rationally before he went into hysterics realizing that this could easily be just a possum going under the deck or the cold air messing with his circulation. 

When he felt the same cool breeze pass by his face, he shivered again and was able in his mind to think it was the cold air telling him he needed to get his blanket out of his duffle bag and wrap it around his shoulders. 

He had placed his duffle bag by his right foot, so without even looking up, he traced his eyes over to the dark colored duffle bag sitting there on the porch and went down to get it with his right hand. 

When he reached down to grab it, he noticed a boot not three inches away from his right foot which had previously not been there when he sat down or when he had gotten there or when he had gone out the last two previous times to the porch before he sat down in the rocking chair he was not moving a muscle on as his body froze like a snowman in the arctic circle. 

His heart leapt up in his throat and it felt like his brain was making his head pound the more he stared at the boot and let total fear take over his being. 

He closed his eyes for a second to think rationally about what he was seeing and then he remembered Nick and their bargain they had made the previous evening: 

Was he not honoring his end of the bargain in which he promised he and his buddies, Jay, Aaron and Billy would not be in the woods laughing their asses off at his stupidity of not checking them when he came to this cabin?

The more he thought about it, the more pissed off he became as his blood started to boil and his feelings changed from fear to downright anger at Nick for not honoring his end of their bargain. 

“How could someone be so spineless, egotistical, and hypocritical?” Zak wondered to himself as he felt anger boiling deep down in the middle of his heart. 

He had been taken advantage of and betrayed by someone who claimed they were possessed by ghosts and who claimed they did it for a living. 

He had listened to this scumbag’s story and bitten on his challenge to spend the night at a rundown dilapidated cabin in the middle of the woods so he could get a few laughs at his expense. 

He was going to kill Nick for this and anything he thought about him friendship wise was out of his mind. 

He wanted answers and he wanted to hear them from Nick himself so he put his hands to his mouth and shouted into the woods across from where he sat in the rocking chair on the porch of the cabin: 

“Okay you four fucktards, the jig is up, fucking show yourselves before I raise my head so I don’t have to beat the shit out of you before I look at you” Zak spat with his head still down looking at the boot which hadn’t moved. 

A few seconds went by with no response from the woods nor movement from the boot and this was even more infuriating to Zak who realized in his mind that these guys were going to do everything in their power to bleed this prank for as long as they could so he positioned himself by aiming his legs at the steps so he could rush off into the woods after them, but not before he gave them one last stern warning: 

“Last chance Nick, your ass had better be standing on this deck by the time my head comes up or I’m getting up off this rocking chair and making sure you and your buddies have more then just dirt dangling off your ballsacks” Zak shouted as he lifted his head up and was about to stand up to rush into the woods after Nick and his three prank pulling imbecilic buddies when he looked in front of him and time seemed to freeze in place like his eyes which were wider then saucer plates trying to take in what was standing in front of him: 

Standing in front of him was a man dressed in pioneer style overalls, a big miners hat, hand sewn long sleeved buttoned up red shirt which was tucked in his overalls and one button undone at the collar area exposing his neck and Adams Apple. 

His face was covered in dust which stained the outside of his eyes down to his long button like nose, ears, and teeth which were anything but pleasant to look at as he was missing a couple of teeth in the front part of his mouth and the rest were completely tartar stained blackish yellow with coffee and tobacco residue all over them. 

Sticking out the side of his lips was a long pipe and he reeked of tobacco and looked to be about 5’7 or eight but Zak couldn’t tell because he was too mesmerized and downright sickened by the sight of his unkempt teeth biting on the end of the pipe he smoked like beef jerky. 

The thing which disturbed Zak more then the man’s unkempt mouth was that he had black holes where his eyes were supposed to be which looked like they belonged on an alien instead of a human being. 

Then when his vision allowed him to remotely even venture away from the terrifying facial features of the man, Zak saw his other leg where his left boot should have been was missing up to about the knee and there was nothing there but the end of the porch and the woods across from it that he could see right through even in the darkness of the night. 

He took one step closer to Zak and he felt the coldness of his facial features getting closer to his own and if Zak really thought hard enough, he could have sworn the man would have been able, if he were alive, to blow smoke in his face as close as his lips were to his own. 

Zak couldn’t move because he was paralyzed with bewilderment and felt like he didn’t have any control over his body as the pull towards the man’s lips was impossible to control like someone else was taking over his spiritual being for that of their own. 

He felt a presence enter his body and it wasn’t male, it was female. He felt his personality changing to that of a more feminine type emotion as his lips connected with the man’s lips in what felt like a light kiss as tears started to stream down his cheeks as he felt the sadness in the kiss receiver like she was seeing this play over again and again and was not backing off this time as if she wanted to be free of this dilapidated cabin prison. 

After the man broke the kiss, Zak could hear a voice coming into his spiritual being as he whimpered and sniffled feeling the feminine pain of his female host wanting to be with her husband who spoke to her through him about why he wanted her to come with him:

“I’m sorry bout losing my life Mary, wish you could come home with me” 

Zak was crying uncontrollably even though he couldn’t move a muscle and the tears were streaming down his cheeks like a waterfall as he envisioned what Patrick and Mary’s life was like before Patrick lost his life in an ore mine collapse the day after he left Mary at the cabin: 

Zak saw Patrick and Mary holding hands as they made their way to the front door of their cabin. In the kitchen, there was still evidence of the smell of stew in the air after they had finished breakfast and she had just filled him a steel thermos full of his favorite coffee while he reached for his pipe and his favorite tobacco he liked to smoke in it. 

She could feel the heaviness in her heart knowing he had to go to work at the mine to keep them fed and she knew in her heart that he may not come back to her arms again because of the dangers of his job. 

She couldn’t bear to see him leave with the heaviness of emotion she felt, so she sat down in her favorite rocking chair on the left side of the front door as Patrick leaned down and gave her a final kiss goodbye before he turned towards the steps with her final words of love ringing in his ears behind him: 

“I’ll be here waitin’ for you to come home, I love you Patrick” Mary softly cooed as she watched him go down the steps for the last time to get into the buggy which would take him to the ore mine which would end up being his eternal grave. 

She watched the buggy until she couldn’t see it anymore and felt tears run out her light blue eyes as they always did when she knew Patrick was far enough away not to see the pain and loneliness she felt for the days and sometimes weeks he was gone. 

Then the day came on a cold night similar to this where she was sitting in her favorite rocking chair and she saw the mounted police officer coming up the dirt road and stopping at their cabin to dismount. 

She didn’t even need to hear his words, she knew, and was already in hysteric crying and wailing when he reached her and held her softly in his arms letting her cry out the massive loss she felt in her heart. 

His clothed arms were soaked with her tears and he had to let her go because he had to go and was only doing this as a courtesy so she could do whatever wishes her husband had left her. 

He got on his horse and when he disappeared from the way he came, her life as she knew it would never be the same even if his spirit would visit her even after she died of a broken heart without the one she loved. 

Now using Zak Bagans spiritual being as a plain to free her of this pain and to finally cross over for the last time she said through him with his voice acting as her advocate: 

“I’m ready to come home with you, Patrick, I want to be free, I want to be in heaven with you, forever” Mary said with tears in her eyes as she used his spiritual plain as a gateway extending her hand out to him where he grabbed it and helped her stand up to leave his body. 

Zak felt Mary’s spirit leave his body but not before he saw both of them holding hands as they both walked down the steps together with Mary saying: 

“Let’s go home, Patrick, we’re free now to be with God” Mary said as a bright light from above made a walkway up to where it originated from. 

Before they both stepped into the walkway which would lead them up to heaven, Mary turned to look at Zak who was still lost in his own emotions of what he was seeing and said her last parting words to him before she walked with her husband onto the heavenly bridge: 

“Thank you, Zak” as he watched them lift off the ground and vanish into God’s Realm for the last time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, been having a hard time being satisfied with what I've been writing on this so I decided to go ahead and post what I'm happy with and hopefully get another spur to finish this up. If there is any one thing I can tell you, it's that when you do this long enough, sometimes you have to let the work come to you and not try to force it or get your mind out of control to a point where you look at it and go.. Why did I do that? Anyway, enjoy this small chapter and hopefully we'll get a spark sooner rather than later.  
> ......

Zak felt his own spirit reenter his body as his senses slowly started to come back to him as did the outside world around him. He heard the crickets chirping in the woods like they were before, he heard the faint sounds of birds in the distance reminding the night that its time was running short of the morning who would soon be flooding the entire area in its glowing essence. 

Yet, there he was, sitting there, shaking uncontrollably, not because he was cold from the chilly early morning air hitting his face or sad because he had a dream which left him in the state he was. 

He was shaking uncontrollably because of the intense experience he had just come through. Tears were still dripping off his cheeks making stains on his dirt caked pant legs as he tried to compose himself. 

He couldn’t explain even to himself what he had just been through. There were no words to it nor were there any answers he could possibly come up with in his emotionally tattered state. 

He never thought in his wildest dreams he would be left there whimpering while trying to get his overall emotions and well being under control before he even tried to get up on his feet to walk back to his cabin. 

He stood up on very wobbly legs trying to get his equilibrium back by holding on to the arms of the rocking chair with both of his hands before he shakily made his way down the steps just as the faint rays of first morning light were poking through the forest and inside the cabin he was walking away from with his duffle bag slung over his shoulder. 

He didn’t even bother looking back at the cabin as he walked farther away from it by going back the way he came down the old abandoned ATV trail in the opposite direction. 

Why should he? There was no need. It was just another rundown dilapidated cabin in the middle of the woods whose owners had passed on leaving nothing behind but him and his thoughts. 

What could he say or what could he do other then keep walking even though he could have sworn there was the sound of laughter in the small meadow he passed by on his way back to the trails which would eventually get him back to where he needed to be. 

If it sounded like anyone he knew, it could be the freed spirits of Patrick and Mary Leacher living the life they always wanted to live in their spirit world which had freed them from the denial their full body selves could never feel in the world he was walking through on his way back to normal civilization. 

He didn’t want to put words in his mouth, he only wanted to listen to nature as it slowly took over the retreating night as he walked past the rolling hills and various old cabins dotting them listening to the early morning song of the birds, retreating crickets, and various other wildlife running across the trail in front of him as he made his way back to his cabin in faster time then he had left it since he was now familiar with the route in front of him. 

He took off his sweater and threw it in the trash bin along with his dirty pants once he got near the cabins not caring if anyone saw him in just his underwear since it was still too early for them to be up. 

He felt his nipples getting painfully erect from the cold early morning air forcing him to pick up the pace to avoid shivering as he made it to the front door of his cabin quietly opening it and closing it behind him. 

He got into the shower to make sure he was clean of all the memories of his night by scrubbing any evidence off his being so he could lie about watching movies all night if his parents asked him about what he did after they went to sleep. 

When he was satisfied he was clean enough to not be detected of any evidence of his doings away from the cabin, he turned off the shower and dried himself off in it with a towel before he wrapped it around his waist making his way out of the bathroom. 

He was greeted by his parents who were both just waking up after they had walked out of their bedroom to head to the kitchen to brew some coffee for themselves. 

They both looked at the clear dark circles under his eyes and worried that he might be coming down with something, but he just lied and said he had stayed up too late watching movies and was going to go take a nap before his brother and his sister awoke for breakfast. 

When he saw the knowing nod of his parents agreement of his explanation, he told them he would see them in a couple of hours for breakfast as he made his way into his bedroom and crashed on the bed with his towel still wrapped around his waist falling into the deepest of sleeps he could remember.


End file.
